A couple were left stranded for a month after a delivery lorry reversed over a bridge to their home and cause it to collapse.

Graham Tooth, 79, and his wife Alex, 72, were cut off from the main road after the water treatment lorry smashed through the bridge on November 13.

The pensioners have spent the last month walking through their neighbour’s gardens to access their bungalow in St John Fen End, near King’s Lynn, Norfolk.

The lorry on the collapsed bridge outside the home of Graham Tooth, 79, and his wife Alex, 72

Now construction company Calvert Brain and Fraulo have installed a temporary foot bridge over the Mill Basin so the couple can access their home.

The couple still cannot park their car in their drive, but they say they are just relieved their car was not stranded as Alex had taken it to her art class.

Luckily the driver of the van managed to climb out of his vehicle and it was removed from the by a crane.

Graham said: “I heard the crash and looked out of the window, my first thought was oh my god.

“I went into total panic. I was separated from the lorry driver by the mill basin so all I could do was shout over to him.

“Everyone has been marvellous, our neighbours have kindly allowed us access to get out through their garden.

“Thankfully one of the first things I did was to call Allianz, my insurers.

“They were fantastic, by the evening they had been out and it was in the hands of the engineers.”

On December 13 construction company Calvert Brain and Fraulo installed a temporary foot bridge over Mill Basin allowing the couple access to the road until a permanent road bridge can ben installed.

The couple hope to have a permanent bridge for both pedestrians and vehicles built next month.

Harry Rule, from Allianz Insurance, said: “When a customer has been affected by devastating events such as this bridge collapse, our utmost priority is to get them back to normality as soon as possible.

“We are very pleased that Mr Tooth has been satisfied by the service he has received from Allianz during this difficult time and will continue to work closely with him while the repair work is completed.”

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